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Friday, July 15, 2016

The Laser Hair Removal Health Risk That Has Nothing To Do With Your Skin

That burning hair smell could be bad for you —
and worse for your clinician.

(Reuters
Health) - The smelly “burning hair” smoke released during laser hair removal
could be a health hazard, especially for people with heavy exposure to it,
researchers report.

The smoke
contains chemicals that irritate the airways and are known to cause cancer, Dr.
Gary Chuang told Reuters Health by email.

He and
his colleagues collected hair samples from two volunteers, sealed the samples
in glass jars, treated them with a laser, and captured 30 seconds of laser
“plume” (a smoky mix of burnt hair and chemicals).

They
found 377 chemical compounds in the smoke, including 20 that are known
environmental toxins, such as carbon monoxide, and 13 that are known or
suspected to cause cancer, like benzene and toluene, according to a report in
JAMA Dermatology.

Chuang,
of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los
Angeles, and colleagues also measured the concentrations of very fine particles
in the plume that could be easily inhaled. They found an eight-fold increase in
concentrations of the particles compared with room air before the procedure,
even when there was a smoke evacuator nearby.

When they
turned the smoke evacuator off for just 30 seconds, the particle count
increased more than 26-fold.

The
researchers conclude that the burning-hair plume released during laser hair
treatment should be considered a “biohazard, warranting the use of smoke
evacuators, good ventilation, and respiratory protection.”

“Laser
hair removal performed by improperly trained personnel or in an inadequately
equipped facility will put both the healthcare workers and patients at risk,”
Chuang told Reuters Health. The procedures should be done only in spaces with
“an adequate air filtration system and a smoke evacuator,” he advises.

Risks are
likely greater for practitioners who may work eight hours straight, Chuang
observed – but no studies have yet looked at how much exposure to the
burning-hair plume is too much.

“It’s
similar to estimating the effect of second-hand smoke - very difficult to do,”
Chuang acknowledged. Nevertheless, he stressed, “it’s important to minimize the
risks.”

Dermatologist
Dr. Delphine Lee of the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica,
California, urges people to “keep these results in perspective.”

Consider,
she wrote in an email to Reuters Health, “how these levels compare to everyday
exposures to other carcinogen-laden air,” such as an urban environment with
lots of car exhaust or a smoky restaurant.

“There
has been no reported epidemic of increased lung disease or other cancer in
technicians or health professionals who perform procedures with lasers, people
who visit dermatology offices that use lasers, or patients who have frequent
laser hair removal,” Lee noted.

“However,
this landmark study alerts us to consider the consequences and further studies
are warranted to investigate the risk of exposure to laser hair removal plume,”
Lee said.

Although
the actual risks aren’t yet known, Lee advises both practitioners and consumers
“to take some moderate precautions, such as wearing respiratory masks,” during
the procedure.